Mother of Slain US Diplomat Wants Trump to Stop Using his Death for Political Attacks
By MORGAN WINSOR Jul 23, 2016, 3:05 PM ET

The mother of slain U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens is calling on Donald Trump's campaign and the Republican Party to stop using her son’s name and death in Benghazi as fodder for political attacks.

Stevens was serving as the U.S. ambassador to Libya when he was killed in a terrorist attack on an American diplomatic outpost in Benghazi in September 2012. Hillary Clinton was secretary of state at the time.

Trump has throughout his campaign used the attack in Benghazi to criticize Clinton. Last month, he tweeted specifically about Stevens’ death, saying, “If you want to know about Hillary Clinton’s honesty & judgment, ask the family of Ambassador Stevens.”

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If you want to know about Hillary Clinton's honesty & judgment, ask the family of Ambassador Stevens.
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Stevens's mother, Mary F. Commanday of Oakland, California, wrote a letter to the editor published by the New York Times on Friday complaining about “this opportunistic and cynical use by the campaign” of her son’s name. Her letter reads:

"As Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens's mother, I am writing to object to any mention of his name and death in Benghazi, Libya, by Donald Trump's campaign and the Republican Party.

"I know for certain that Chris would not have wanted his name or memory used in that connection. I hope that there will be an immediate and permanent stop to this opportunistic and cynical use by the campaign.”